Mission HistoryOne of two Helldivers that took off from NAS Tillamook at 1:30pm en route to San Diego. Crashed near Rockaway Beach.

Wreckage
Afterwards, this crash site was found by a group of loggers who saw the plane circling under a low overcast before the fatal crash led the way to the scene, taking with them Chief Aviation Pilot L. S. Kuriger, San Diego, pilot of one of the two Helldivers which took off from Tillamook.

The site was initially searched in 1948, almost immediately after the incident. Pilot Smedley was recovered and identified at this time.

Sometime in the 1950s, the area was logged and large pieces of aircraft wreckage were removed and redistributed across the area.

On March 10, 2010, contractors with the Stimson Lumber Company rediscovered the wreckage including the wing, tail section, and the landing gear in a heavily wooded area where aircraft debris is spread out over an area approximately 200 yards.

On March 24, Oregon State Police investigated the crash site with the US Navy and found no ordinance. On March 25 they reported the site to JPAC and the news media. A part with a manufacture date of 1946 was found. During May 2010, JPAC officially excavated this crash site.

Dr. Bill Belcher / JPAC adds:
"While wreckage was scattered over a vast area, the focus was on the impact crater - approximately 2 meters in diameter and about 65 cm in depth. The JPAC excavation recovered an engine data plate from a Wright R-2600 engine for aircraft SB2C5 and Bureau Number 83414; this positively identified the wreckage as the suspected aircraft. After the completion of the JPAC excavations, all aircraft wreckage, including wing and tail assemblies and cockpit-related debris, was collected and taken to the Tillamook Air Museum. This loan was done under the direction of the Naval Historic and Heritage Command."